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Chapter 24 – The Compliments He Never Meant to Say
"Behind the Gold: AUREUS Unfiltered" – Episode 2 (Ongoing)
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[STUDIO – SPOTLIGHT ON JAEHEON]
Jeon Mira, now gleefully vindictive, holds up the special "Jaeheon Dare Deck" like she's just pulled the Sword of Truth from a stone.
Jeon Mira (grinning):
"Alright, Jaeheon. Since you REFUSED the aegyo dare—earning yourself 13 dares total—here comes Dare Number 3."
The audience chants.
"DARE! DARE! DARE!"
Jeon Mira flips the card dramatically.
❗DARE 3: Compliment each member of AUREUS. Sincerely. No sarcasm. No shortcuts. One by one. Face them while you do it.
The studio explodes with laughter. Minjae falls off the couch. Hyunjae claps like a seal.
Jaeheon doesn't react.
He just exhales. Cold. Composed. Murderously calm.
Minjae (cackling):
"This is worse than aegyo! There's no way he survives this."
Jeon Mira:
"One heartfelt compliment per member. Let's go."
[JAEHEON – POV]
He stands. Walks slowly to the center of the stage. Turns to face the six members sitting behind him. The lights dim slightly. A spotlight isolates him like a lone figure in an interrogation room.
He starts with the youngest.
Sungchan.
Jaeheon:
"…You always remember the names of our staff. And you mean it when you say thank you."
Sungchan's eyes widen. His usual bright smile falters for a second.
"…Hyung," he whispers.
Next: Rin.
Jaeheon:
"You're always the first to notice when someone's tired. Even if they haven't said anything."
Rin stares at him like he just got slapped with kindness.
Hyunjae.
Jaeheon:
"You're ridiculous. Loud. Distracting. But when things go bad, you're the first one to get serious. I trust that."
Hyunjae looks genuinely moved.
"Okay what the hell. Why is this lowkey emotional?"
Yeonwoo.
Jaeheon:
"You don't talk much. But when you do, it's worth listening to."
Yeonwoo just nods—silent acknowledgment between two quiet men.
Eunjae.
Jaeheon:
"You overthink everything. But that's why nothing ever gets missed. You're the one who keeps us precise."
Eunjae blinks fast.
"…Thanks. That… actually means a lot coming from you."
Last: Minjae.
Jaeheon pauses.
Minjae smirks. "Come on, stoic prince. Give me my praise."
Jaeheon:
"You make people feel safe. Even when you're joking. Even when you don't notice."
Minjae goes completely quiet. His teasing smile falters. Then comes back, softer.
"Damn. That's actually the best one."
[LIVE CHAT – TRANSLATED IN REAL TIME]
@aureuscore_: Why is this more devastating than a breakup scene
@ourjaeheon: he sees EVERYTHING doesn't he
@veritasgold: i'm crying??? he knows them so deeply without ever acting like he cares
[STUDIO – BACK TO THE COUCH]
Jeon Mira:
"Well, well. That was surprisingly beautiful. Who knew Jaeheon could compliment people like a melancholic therapist."
Minjae: "He reads like a man who's writing your eulogy but means it."
Jaeheon sits back down wordlessly.
Jeon Mira shuffles the cards again.
"Okay, Dare Number 4. Ready?"
❗DARE 4: Write a Cheesy Love Letter. Read it Aloud.
Jaeheon doesn't even blink.
He takes the notepad and pen Mira offers.
He doesn't ask for time.
He just writes.
Thirty seconds. Maybe less.
Then he stands.
Unfolds the paper.
And reads.
JAEHEON'S LETTER
"If I had been braver, you would've already known this.
If I had been weaker, I would've already said it.
But instead—"
"I wrote you in silence. In choruses no one understood.
In melodies I never let the world hear."
"You are not a metaphor. You are not inspiration.
You are the girl in gold, the one I still see when I close my eyes."
"I hope your world is bright.
Even if mine is filled with shadows."
"I like you. I think I always did."
—J
SILENCE.
Complete, aching silence.
Even the crew behind the cameras forgets to breathe.
Minjae whispers, "He just exposed his soul with that."
Hyunjae: "No one asked him to go that hard."
Jeon Mira blinks several times. Then:
"…Okay. Yeah. No more love-letter dares for Jaeheon."
[LIVE CHAT]
@shadowxgold: i'm gonna cry and i don't even know who "she" is
@her_silence_is_heaven: "you are not a metaphor" WHO IS THIS GIRL
@obsessed: someone write that on my grave
[STUDIO – CAMERAS ZOOM OUT]
The gold lights pulse in the background.
The air feels heavy again—thick with something unspoken, something that keeps coming back to that one word.
Her.
And still, Jaeheon doesn't smile. Doesn't soften. Doesn't explain.